Cemetery Gates

Pantera, 1990. Solo by Dimebag Darrell.

A three-part story of a solo in a metal ballad.

Dimebag's main solo shows the melodic, emotional side of a player better known for crushing riffs, unfolding over the song's slow, brooding progression after the heavy verses build the tension. He reportedly cut three different solos in a late-night session and later judged the first one the keeper. The closing section is equally memorable: as Phil Anselmo pushes his voice to screaming high notes, Dimebag answers each phrase on guitar in a call-and-response that climbs to the finish. Taken together, the leads tell a story rather than simply showing off, which is why so many metal players count this among their favourite ballads. Listen for that final trade-off between voice and guitar, where each scream gets its own answering phrase.

Cemetery Gates by Pantera is ranked #46 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Dimebag Darrell and the song was released in 1990. It appears on 14 lists, placing as high as #5 (Seymour Duncan).

The story of Cemetery Gates

"Cemetery Gates" comes from Cowboys from Hell, the 1990 album on which Pantera reinvented themselves as a heavy, groove-driven metal band, and their second with singer Phil Anselmo. At just over seven minutes it is the longest track the band ever released, moving from a clean, brooding acoustic introduction into crushing heavy sections and a dramatic finale. Its slow tempo and clean passages made it an outlier on such an aggressive record.

Anselmo borrowed the title from The Smiths, a band he openly admires, although the songs have nothing else in common. The lyric describes losing a lover and contemplating death as a way of being reunited with her. Anselmo said in 1991 that it was inspired by friends who had taken their own lives, and later explained that the death of a friend in New Orleans had hit his circle hard; he deliberately kept the words from becoming too personal so they would not overshadow the music.

The album was produced by Terry Date and released by Atco on 24 July 1990. "Cemetery Gates" followed as the second single, with a music video by Paul Rachman that cut live footage from the Dallas club The Basement with scenes filmed in a Los Angeles cemetery; the clip dropped the acoustic intro. The song became one of Pantera's most-played radio tracks, and the vocal climax, where Anselmo's rising high notes are answered by Dimebag's guitar, became a highlight of their concerts for years.

The solo

Dimebag Darrell wrote and played all the guitar parts, and his main solo shows the melodic, emotional side of a player better known for crushing riffs, unfolding over the song's slow, brooding progression after the heavy verses have built the tension. According to Songfacts, Dimebag cut three different solos in a late-night session while drinking, and later judged that the first one he played was the keeper. The track's closing section is equally famous: as Anselmo pushes his voice to screaming high notes, Dimebag answers each phrase on guitar in a call-and-response trade-off that climbs to the finish. Specific details of the amplifier and guitar used on this track are not documented in the sources consulted, so they are not listed here.

Legacy

Guitar World readers ranked the solo No. 35 among the greatest ever, making it Dimebag's second-highest entry after "Floods". Metal Hammer named it the best Pantera song and one of the great epic metal ballads. A live version from Official Live: 101 Proof earned a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance in 1998, and the single was certified platinum in New Zealand. In 2009 Evile chose it for Metal Hammer's tribute album marking five years since Dimebag's death.

Top 10 facts about Cemetery Gates

At just over seven minutes, "Cemetery Gates" is the longest song in Pantera's catalogue.
Wikipedia
Phil Anselmo took the title from The Smiths' 1986 song of the same name because he is a fan of the band.
Songfacts
Anselmo said the lyric was written about friends who had died by suicide.
Wikipedia
Dimebag recorded three solos in one night, and said the first take he played was the one that stayed.
Songfacts
Guitar World readers ranked the solo No. 35 among the greatest of all time, second only to "Floods" among Dimebag's entries.
Wikipedia
A live version from Official Live: 101 Proof was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 40th Grammy Awards.
Wikipedia
The music video, directed by Paul Rachman, combined footage from The Basement in Dallas with cemetery scenes shot in Los Angeles.
Songfacts
A shortened 5:47 edit appeared on the 1995 soundtrack Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight.
Wikipedia
British thrash band Evile covered the song for a 2009 Metal Hammer tribute album marking five years since Dimebag's death; it was bassist Mike Alexander's last session.
Blabbermouth
At Pantera's first reunion show in December 2022, the studio recording played over the PA before the band launched into "Planet Caravan".
Ultimate Classic Rock

Live versions

Official Live: 101 Proof (1997) A 7:53 live take that earned a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance.

Notable covers

Evile (2009) Recorded for Metal Hammer's Dimebag Darrell tribute album; bassist Mike Alexander's final session.
Split Bearing (2009) Included on the band's release Six Years Of Working SPLIT BEARING Without Malfunction.

In our lists

Sources

What guitar was used on the Cemetery Gates solo?

A dean ml through a Randall amp, according to widely reported accounts.

Where does Cemetery Gates rank among the greatest guitar solos?

#46 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 14 of them.

What is Cemetery Gates by Pantera about?

It is about the death of a loved one and the thought of dying to rejoin her; Anselmo linked it to friends who died by suicide.

Who played the guitar solo on Cemetery Gates?

Dimebag Darrell, Pantera's guitarist and co-writer of the song.

What album is Cemetery Gates on?

Pantera's 1990 album Cowboys from Hell.

Is Cemetery Gates related to The Smiths song?

Only by title; Phil Anselmo borrowed the name because he is a Smiths fan.

How long is Cemetery Gates?

About seven minutes, making it Pantera's longest song.